Child&#39;s vehicle



Man. 2Q, 1923. 1,449,163

P. H. BRANDES CHILD'S VEHICLE Filed Feb. 1, 1922 ummmm IN V EN TOR.

Fzzai Hflrazzdes ARNEY.

Patented Mar. 20, 1923.

easier PAUL H. BRANDES, F BItIDG'EPOl-ZT, CONNECTICUT.

cnrrns VEHICLE.

Application filed February 1, 1922. Serial No. 533,151.

My invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in childs vehicle and more particularly to a figure-wheeled toy designed to be propelled by a rider and constructed to provide an uneven riding movement.

The object of the invention is to provlde an inexpensive form of toy having the body portion or figure of a horse which is supported upon wheels, eccentricallymounted with respectto their bearings so that when the toy travels over the ground the figure will be given an irregular longitudinal or jumping movement which in a measure would provide a sensation similar to that of a galloping horse but more especially of a bucking bronco wherein the jumps would be somewhat irregular and unanticipated in a way to make the feat of riding something of an art or accomplishment and thus double attractive.

With these and other objects in view the invention resides and consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims 7 hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction within the scope of the claims may be resorted to without departure from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Similar characters of reference denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and upon which,

Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of my improved toy, and

Fig. 2 a top plan view of the same.

The toy includes a body portion which for the most part may be sawed out of a piece of board of suitable thickness and quality in a manner to provide the legs, tail, etc. This body is supported upon three wheels, the front wheel of which serves as a steering and driving wheel. The two rear wheels are alike in construction and rigidly supported upon a shaft that is mounted in spaced apart bearings attached to the body of the toy so as to provide three supports for the toy.

In detail 5 represents the body of the horse, 6 the steering post, 7 the handle bars secured to the upper end of the steering post and positioned forward of the saddle 8. The lower end'of the steering post is forked to accommodate the front wheel 9 which is eccent-rically mounted upon the shaft 10 and to the opposite ends of which the inner end of the cranks 11 are secured. carrying pedals 12 upon their outer ends.

and wheel which latter would roll. eccentric in a way to automatically raise and lower the front part of the body irrespective of the action of the rear wheels which are purposely made larger than the front wheel so that the two will not work in unison and so the horizontal movements of the toy would be noticeably irregular giving the sensation of a gallop combined with a buck jump.

Supporting members 13 are secured to opposite sides of the rear portion of the body of the horse and are disposed out and downwardly to form a bearing for the rear axle 14:. The ends of the axle 14 extend through the rear wheels 1515 which are pinned in alignment, to the hubs of the wheels in a way to insure the two wheels turning together-with the axle. The rear wheels 15 are mounted eccentrically on the rear axle so as to cause the body of the horse to rise and fall with each complete rotation of the wheel.

As there is no direct operative connection between the front wheel and the back wheels they of course turn independent of these diameters, and will, as shown in the drawings, roll so that their rise and fall will for the most part be out of time with each other and thereby cause the front body portion of the horse to be up while the rear body portion is down, and vice versa. The eccentric wheels being of different diameters, and rotatable independently of each other, will rotate in such manner due to the different peripheral lengths of the wheels, that the relative angular positions of the wheels will be constantly changing, and therefore the relative rising and falling movements of the front and rear portions of the body will constantly change. When both wheels have their portions of corresponding eccentricity The operation of pedalling the cranks will rotate the shaft (ill in engagement with the ground at the same time", the Whole body will rise'and fall substantially uniformly at each end, that is,

With a bucking movement; and from this point the relative angular positions of the Wheels gradually change up to thepoint Where the short radius portion of one Wheel and the long radius portion of theother Wheel are in engagement with the ground,

invention, What ent, is.c 1 ,1. A'childs vehicle comprising abody portion having the configuration of an amw mal, a steering post pivotally mounted in "the body and provided with a lower forked end-,a shaft journaled in the fork and hearing operating cranks, a frontdriving and steering heel eccentrically secured to said shaft, spaced apart bearings secured to the rear of the body, a shaftmounted to turn freelyjzin said bearings independently of said; front shaft, a pairofrear wheels eccen-. trica-lly secured to the end portions,v of said ,shaft in a Way to turn together Withthe shaft, said rear Wheels being unconnected to ,said means being independently rotatable the: front wheels and of different diameter from the front Wheels, whereby their angumovements of the body portion at its respective ends.

2. A childs vehicle comprising a body portion, eccentrically mounted rotatable supporting means of different diameters at the front and rear ends of the body portion,

1 I o u whereby their relative angular positions are vconstantly changed through movement of the vehicle, and thereby varies the relative rising and falling movements of the body portion at itsrespective ends, means for driving the supporting means at one end, and means for steering the supporting means at oneend. 1 V

Signed at Bridgeporhiin the" county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, this 31st day. of January, D. 1922.

' PAUL H. BRANDES. Vitriesses': 1

O. M. NE M N, LILLIAN M. AL lrNG.- 

